Utility cabinet



Jan. 4, 1938.

H. FEINBERG UTILITY CBINET Filed April 7, i936 INVENTOR.

Hee/wmv Fem/safe@ Patented Jan. 4, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2Claims.

This invention relates to `utility cabinets and hasior its objects theprovisionof a small cabinet having a transparent panel and supply ofwriting paper arranged to be drawn `over said panel with a source oflight positioned within the cabinet behind said panel and writing paperfor illuminating lthe same from the side opposite the surface supportingthe paper, also such cabinet having partitions therein formingcompartments for smokers articlesA and a pen or pencil. Other objectsand advantages will appear in the drawing and description, Y i

In the figures, Fig. 1 represents perspective view of my utilitycabinet. c Y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the cabinet.

Fig. 3 is a sectional View taken along rthe line 3-3 of Fig. 2. y l

Fig. 4 is a side elevational View of thecabinet with parts shown insection for clarity of certain construction.

In brief, my utility cabinet is of relatively small size about 5 incheswide, 6 inches in length at the base and about 4 inches in height, although these dimensions may be modifiedv several inches one way or theother, and relatively. The cabinet is accordingly suitable forpositioning on a desk at the side of a bed, and where night calls arefrequent, as with physicians, the panel on one side of the cabinet canreadily be illuminated and a note registered on the paper covering thepanel, without disturbing any of the other occupants of the room, sincethe light within the cabinet is substantially restricted to passingthrough the paper over the illuminated panel, there being no reflectionfrom its surface, as where the light shines on the writing surface froman outside source. Also the slight glow from the panel and paper isfound to be just suliicientto enable a person to observe the otherportions of the cabinet in which other articles are contained.

In detail my cabinet may be made of sheet metal, wood, or bakelite, witha base I, inclined sides 2, 3 and similarly inclined ends 4, 5 extendingconvergently upwardly from the edge of the base to a vertically directedrectangular opening 6 at the top of the cabinet. An oblong receptacle 1,with straight substantially parallel sides is adapted to slide throughopening 6 to the bottom of the cabinet, said receptacle 'I beingslidably supported in vertical position by downwardly turned edges 8 ofthe sides and ends of the cabinet.

The opposite end walls of the cabinet are formed with vertical openingstherein at 9, I0

for receiving relatively small receptacles II, I2 therein, with thebases of these receptacles supported on the base I and supported attheir upper ends by downwardly turned edges I3, I4 and I5, I6 .of theend walls around the openings 19, 5 I0 respectively. One or both ofthese receptacles I I, I2 may be provided with a central cross member attheir upper ends to facilitate lifting the receptacles `out of thecabinet. Y

A cover I8 hinged along one edge at IS to the upper edge of wall 3 isadapted to cover the opening 6 and'upper end of receptacle 1.

The receptacle 1 is substantially the size of an ordinary cigarettepackage, andreceptacles I I, I2 may be used respectively to receivematches and cigarette ashes.

The inclined side 2 of the cabinet is provided with rectangularhorizontally elevated opening therein extending substantially thelengthiof the cabinet and which opening is filled withvan elongatedstrip of translucent glass 2| or other material, such as ground glass,or frosted glass. Supported on the base I between the glass and side ofreceptacle 'I is a small electric light bulb 22 suitably connected byconventional wiring 23 (Fig. 4) to a small switch 24 adjacent the baseatv one end of the cabinet with power wires 25 leading from the switchto the source of power or to a suitable plug for plugging into a powercurrent. The wiring being conventional and well understood to anyoneskilled in the art is designated in Fig. 4 only, and in diagrammaticform, it being understood that wires 23 are within the cabinet.

Within the cabinet and the above glass is a horizontally extending rollof paper 26 of substantially the length of the glass 2|, the roll beingbetween wall 2 and the side of the receptacle Brackets 2'I are adaptedto rotatably support the ends of shaft 28 therein, the paper being woundon said shaft, and one end ofthe roll of paper is adapted to be drawnthrough an elongated slot 29 extending horizontally above the glasspanel 2| and over the glass as `at 30, then through slot 3| to withinthe cabinet belowY the lower edge of the glass, and outward again at 32at the end of the strip. Asmall leaf spring 33 may be provided adjacentslot 32 to keep the free end of the strip of paper at the slot 32accessible for successively pulling the paper from the roll over theglass panel as the paper is successively torn off at slot 32, they upperedge of the slot forminga cutting edge. The lower edge of slot 32 may becut away centrally as at 34 to facilitate inser- 55 tion of the fingersVfor grasping the free edge of the paper.

At one end of the panel 1 the side 2 is provided with a Verticalcircular opening 35 for insertion of a pencil 36 into a vertical tube 31that is tted into said opening.

It will be seen that the brackets 21 are formed with horizontal anddownwardly directed slots 38 therein, that open outwardly at their upperends adjacent the side of receptacle 1, so it is necessary to remove thereceptacle 'l to insert a roll of paper, and after replacing thereceptacle the roll cannot be dislodged from its support in thebrackets.

The provision of a relatively broad base gives a stable support forwriting on Ithe inclined panel 2| that is tted in side 2, whereby notescan readily be written on the paper at the side of the cabinet by onereclining in bed, and the top of the cabinet is free for access to thecontents of the cabinet.

While I am fully aware of the existence of illuminated panels fortracing and the like, I am not aware of a small utility cabinetv inwhich there is a supply of paper'always accessible for replenishing overan illuminated panel in an inclined side of a cabinet, and with a sourceof light in the relation as described in the foregoing description and Iam not aware of any device heretofore made adapted to serve the purposeof my cabinet.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. A utility cabinet of box-like form, one of the lateral side walls ofsaid cabinet being slanted and having an opening therein tt-ed with asubstantially similarly slanted glassV panel, a supply of writing paperwithin the cabinet adjacent said panel, an electric bulb in an electriccircuit behind said panel and Yadjacent thereto,` means formed in thewall tted with said panel for passing paper from said supply over theouter side of Said panel and means for securing said paper against theouter side of the panel for writing thereon, a switch in said electriccircuit for turning said bulb on and off, the top of said cabinet havingan opening therein for obtaining access to said paper and light bulb,and a removable closure.

2. In a device of the character described, a box-like body having arelatively broad supporting base, a lateral side wall a substantialportion of which isY ofV light transmitting material, said lateral sidewall slantingly extending upwardly from one of the side edges of thebase in a direction to project over the base, a roll of writing paperpositioned over said base and behind said lateral side wall, said wallbeing formed with an opening for withdrawing paper from the roll to aposition over and against the outer surface of the light transmittingportion of said lateral wall, a light bulb positioned adjacent the innersurface of the lateral wall and over said base illuminating the lighttransmitting portion of the wall and the paper thereover, theinclination of said lateral wall including the light transmittingportion being such as to substantially support the writing hand of aperson when writing on paper that is positioned on the outer surface ofsaid portion and the width of the base in the direction of theinclination of said side wall being substantially that of the upwardlyextending dimension of the lateral side wall whereby the base willsupport the side wall and weight of the writers hand thereon withouttipping over, and means enclosing the light bulb against substantialescape of light rays therefrom except through said light transmittingportion of the lateral side Wall.

f HERMAN FEINBERG.

